Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Another day of heart-breaking news...

Well a few hours ago I saw a story on FB about a reporter and photog killed in the middle of doing a live-shot. Live...on the freakin air...they were not in some war-torn country or in the middle of riots or something else of the sort...they were covering a story and the guy just walks up and kills him. The most recent reports say it was a disgruntled employee. He fled in a vehicle. He attempted to kill himself but from what I gather is still alive and in critical condition. It looks like he was made at the reporter for making "racist" remarks about him and angry with the photog for "reporting him to HR" after only working with him one time. Who knows where the truth lies...I had the pleasure of working in a TV station right after college. I was in the in-studio camera op and I worked some overnights in MC. I cannot imagine what it would have been like for the crew, all those people in the studio on headsets when this went down. They've mentioned that both of these victims were in relationships with people who also worked at the station...my heart is just broken for them. I spent a little time sending some messages to some people I used to work with and go to school with that currently work at a station. I'm not sure there is a safety precaution that could have prevented this. When I was an intern I used to go on live-shots with the guys that cover the Live at Gurley Leep spots. It was honestly kinda boring at times. We'd do our shot and then sit and wait for our turn again. I'm sure that when it comes to fires or riots they have strict protocol to follow as far as how close/far they can be from a situation...but that was not the case here. These two people woke up today, had their coffee and set out to do a live shot and BAM. Gone. Tragic, senseless and sad.